LAHORE:
With elections in Gilgit-Baltistan just a month away, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has revealed the list of ticket holders for 19 of the 24 seats, intensifying electoral competition with its coalition ally, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which had announced its candidates and priorities for reserved seats earlier this week.
According to a notification issued by the party and undersigned by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, tickets have been allotted to several key figures of the party, including former Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister and PML-N GB President Hafeezur Rehman of GBA-2, Gilgit-II.
The announcement comes two days after the PPP released its full list of general and reserved seats, paving the way for a high-stakes competition between the two ruling coalition partners in the federally administered territory.
Under the PML-N list, party tickets were allotted to Muhammad Shafiqud Din of GBA-1, Gilgit-I; Muhammad Ibrahim of GBA-22, Ghanche-I; Ghulam Muhammad of GBA-21, Ghizer-III; Abdul Jahan of GBA-20, Ghizer-II; Malik Kifayat of GBA-18, Diamer-IV; Muhammad Zaman of GBA-17, Diamer-III; Engineer Muhammad Anwar of GBA-16, Diamer-II; Abdul Wajid of GBA-15, Diamer-I; Rana Muhammad Farooq of GBA-14, Astore-II; Farman Ali of GBA-13, Astore-I; Muhammad Tahir Unahar Shigri of GBA-12, Shigar; Syed Mohsin Rizvi of GBA-11, Kharmang; Ajmal Hussain of GBA-9, Skardu-III; Imtiaz Haider Khan of GBA-8, Skardu-II; Muhammad Akbar Khan of GBA-7, Skardu-I; Prince Saleem of GBA-6, Hunza; and Mohammad Iqbal of GBA-3, Gilgit-III. The party candidates from Gilgit-Baltistan were interviewed by Nawaz Sharif around two weeks ago after an initial screening by the parliamentary committee.
On April 16, the PML-N constituted a 23-member parliamentary council comprising Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Captain Safdar and other senior leaders.
Earlier this week, the PPP also distributed tickets to its candidates, including Amjad Hussain Azar of GBLA-1 (Gilgit-I), Jameel Ahmed of GBLA-2 (Gilgit-II), Aftab Haider of GBLA-3 (Gilgit-III), Muhammad Ali Akhtar of GBLA-4 (Nagar-I), Zulfiqar Ali Murad of GBLA-5 (Nagar-II), Colonel (R) Imtiaz-ul-Haq of GBLA-6 (Hunza), Touqeer Mehdi Shah of GBLA-7 (Skardu-I), Syed Muhammad Ali Shah of GBLA-8 (Skardu-II), Fida Muhammad Nishad of GBLA-9 (Skardu-III), Raja Nasir Ali Khan of GBLA-10 (Skardu-IV), Iqbal Hassan of GBLA-11 (Kharmang), Imran Nadeem of GBLA-12 (Shigar), Major (R) Fahad Hanif Khan of GBLA-13 (Astore-I), Bashir Ahmed Khan of GBLA-15 (Diamer-I), Ataullah Shah of GBLA-16 (Diamer-II), Muhammad Naseem of GBLA-17 (Diamer-III), Pir Syed Jalal Ali Shah of GBLA-19 (Ghizer-I), Nazir Ahmed of GBLA-20 (Ghizer-II), Muhammad Ayub Shah of GBLA-21 (Ghizer-III), Dr Ashiq Hussain of GBLA-22 (Ghanche-I) and Engineer Muhammad Ismail of GBLA-24 (Ghanche-III). A day later, Pakistan People’s Party (PPPP) parliamentarians announced additional candidates for the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, awarding party tickets to Wazir Waqar for GBA-9 Skardu-III and Amna Ansari for GBA-23 Ghanche-II.
The party also released a priority list for reserved seats for women and seats for technocrats.
It is pertinent to mention here that while the PML-N enjoys a clear advantage as the main ruling party at the Centre, the PPP, despite being a junior coalition partner at the federal level, remains a formidable contender in Gilgit-Baltistan due to its long-standing roots in the region.
According to PPP insiders, the party is also working on a possible alliance with the JUI-F in Gilgit-Baltistan to improve its chances of securing the maximum number of seats.
The upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are being closely watched by political observers as they are expected to offer important signals regarding the evolving balance of power and the direction of establishment-backed political currents.
